Parsons Green suspects arrested at asylum-seekers halfway house

Time for a further update on the Parsons Green Islamic terror attack. British police today announced the sixth arrest in the course of their Parsons Green bombing investigation, with a 17-year-old Muslim taken into custody in the Thornton Heath district of south London.

He had his collar felt (Americans please read: was detained) pursuant to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act. Forensics experts were busy today scouring a three-storey house in the suburb, which neighbours say houses asylum-seekers being "dealt with" by the Home Office.

The online edition of the Daily Mail reports that three men aged 25, 30 and 48 were apprehended by Inspector Knacker while staying at a half-way house for refugees in South Wales. A 21-year-old, named in some reports a Yahyah Farroukh, a Muslim "refugee" from Syria, was arrested in West London.

The first man arrested was an 18-year-old Iraqi who is thought to have been referred to a deradicalization programme before the attack. Those who've been paying attention should remember that President Trump said the attack was perpetrated by people who were "within sight of Scotland Yard". For that, he was castigated by British Prime Minister Theresa May for "speculating" about something which was still under investigation. Turns out Mr Trump was right. Walt speculates (!) that he had inside information which wasn't given to Mrs May!

Meanwhile, an Iraqi painter-decorator who was first in the latest wave of arrests by anti-terror police investigating the Parsons Green tube bombing has been pictured for the first time. Mahdi Ramadi, known as Bilal, has been named locally as one of the three men detained in Wales. Witnesses said he smiled when police moved in to arrest him.

UPDATED: Latest stats from Parsons Green Islamic terrorist bombing

Here, in its entirety, is the latest update from AP on the attempt by radical Islamic terrorists to cause a catastrophic explosion on the London Underground at Parsons Green station.

British police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the bomb that partially exploded on a London subway last week. Police said they arrested a 25-year-old man in Wales on Tuesday evening under the Terrorism Act. They say a property in Newport, Wales, was being searched.

Two other men arrested over the weekend -- an 18-year-old refugee from Iraq and a 21-year-old from Syria -- remain in custody. Neither has been charged. The partially exploded bomb injured 30 people when it detonated inside a crowded subway car on Friday.

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have claimed responsibility.

Apart from the references to the country of origin of the first two suspects (reported here on WWW before it was acknowledged by the police or UK government), there is no reference to the ethnicity (Arab) or religion (Islam) of any of the "usual suspects" so far rounded up by Inspector Knacker.

Also missing from the AP report is confirmation that the number of jihadists in detention is actually five -- this according to CBC Radio this morning. UPDATE added at 0750. AP has now included in its bulletin the arrests under the Terrorism Act of a 48-year-old man and a 30-year-old man under the Terrorism Act in Newport, Wales. As usual, nothing about the ethnicity or religion or immigration status of those arrested.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York today, British Prime Minister Theresa May is having a meeting today with senior executives from Google, Facebook and Microsoft, alongside her French and Italian counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Paul Gentiloni. Why? To urge the giant internet companies to take down "extremist content" within two hours, so as not to aid "extremists" in spreading their propaganda.

Walt wonders which "extremists" Mrs May has in mind. She's the world leader (NOT) who told President Trump that he shouldn't "speculate" about the Parsons Green bombers' identities and motives. Her request to Google et alii to monitor and delete "extremist content" sounds to me like yet another politically correct attack on freedom of speech. That kind of censorship could easily be applied not just to Islamist websites, but to such moderate and helpful online publications as... errr... Walt Whiteman's World!

Suspicions confirmed: Parsons green suspects are Muslim migrants

Yesterday, in "UK cops arrest two in terrorist bombing, won't name names", Walt called attention to the British government's policy of not identifying terrorism suspects for fear of provoking -- or confirming -- Islamophobia. This refusal has been maintained in every one of the five terrorist "incidents" which have hit the UK this year, even though scores have been killed and hundreds injured. Yet the "authorities", from Prime Minister Theresa May on down, won't call out the Mohammeds by name until friends and neighbours give the game away.

Since the identities of the two suspects being held by Inspector Knacker have leaked out, the BBC (the Voice of the British state) now has little choice but to publish what has become general knowledge. They tell us, so quietly that they're almost whispering, the 21-year-old, arrested on Saturday in Hounslow (in west London) is "believed" to be Syrian-born Yahyah Farroukh. And, they say, the 18-year-old detained at Dover port is an Iraqi orphan who moved to the UK when he was 15, this according to local council leader Ian Harvey.

Both of the suspects are Arabs, asylum-seekers, and followers of the Prophet. Of course neither has been charged, let alone convicted, so Walt won't adjust his lifetime pct average yet. But anyone wishing to bet the other way is welcome to send a cheque to the usual address. Walt will pay 100 to 1 if my suspicions turn out to be unfounded.

UK cops arrest two in terrorist bombing, won't name names

Two men have now had their collars felt (North American readers please read: been arrested) by Inspector Knacker for "possible" roles in Friday morning's terrorist bomb attack on a rush-hour subway train at Parsons Green station in west London. 29 passengers were injured, but the amateurish IED failed to explode as planned, and no-one was killed. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the fifth terrorist attack in the UK this year.

On Saturday, police arrested an 18-year-old man in the departure area of the port of Dover, where ferries leave for France. Late Saturday night, a 21-year-old man was arrested in Hounslow in west London and is being held under the Terrorism Act at a south London station, where he is helping police with their enquiries.

Neither man has not been charged or identified. It wouldn't do to provoke Islamophobia, you know. But sooner or later someone will have to be identified as a perpetrator of the jihadist attack, or a conspirator at least. Walt predicts his name will be Mohammed, or some variant thereof. Lifetime pct .977.

VIDEO: Subway explosion in London: who dunnit if not ISIS?

We had a bit of a vacation from Islamic terror this summer, but "the harvest is passed, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." (Jeremiah 8:20). This morning an explosion ripped through a packed London Underground (subway) train at Parsons Green. 29 people were injured, but no-one has died... yet.

Passengers reported seeing a device in one of the tube train cars, and hearing a bang during the Friday morning rush-hour. Footage posted on Twitter appears to show a burning device -- a white plastic bucket inside a foil-lined shopping bag. Flames and what appear to be wires can be seen emerging from the top.



Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of Inspector Knacker's counterterrorism unit, said "We now assess this was a detonation of an improvised explosive device." Walt says, "No shit, Sherlock!" In keeping with precedent and the British tradition of fair play, innocent until proven guilty and so on, the coppers declined to point the finger at Muslims or ISIS or Druids or anyone in particular. "There are many urgent inquiries ongoing with hundreds of detectives involved, looking at CCTV, carrying out forensic work and speaking to witnesses," Mr Rowley said in a statement to the meeja. Apparently no cries of "Allahu akbar!" were heard, and no group has so far claimed responsibility.

UPDATE ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: British Prime Minister Theresa May, politically correct to a fault, scolded President Trump for daring to "speculate on what is an ongoing investigation." The US president had described the attackers, in a Tweet, as "loser terrorists" and "sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard." Mrs May probably thought Mr Trump meant "Islamic terrorists", but of course it wouldn't be "helpful" to so describe them. By the sheerest coincidence, ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack about two hours after Mrs May spoke.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Mrs May also objected to President Trump's suggestion that the British authorities should be more "proactive" in dealing with the terrorists. Mr Trump had tweeted "Loser terrorists must be dealt with in a much tougher manner." Walt had no sooner posted the above update when the mojo wire spat out news that the UK government has raised their national threat level to "critical" from "severe", which means it expects another attack imminently. Mrs May now says there will be a greater presence of armed police in public places. Sounds more proactive to me!

Footnote: By Ed.'s count this is the fifth terrorist attack in not-so-Great Britain this year. Used to be it was the IRA that the Brits had to worry about, but now it's not militant Catholics, but militant Muslims! Just because Islamophobia isn't "a real thing" doesn't mean the jihadists aren't out to get us!